Bahraini photographer Ali Al Riffai has an impressive list of clients both at home and abroad, who seek him out for his professional approach to everything from food to fashion photography, but his true passion is portraiture. ‘Capturing people and their emotions is to capture life, itself,’ he says. ‘I also love painting with light and shadow to create more than a picture but a mood and a feeling. I think this is what makes photography art.’ Photography was originally just a hobby for Ali, who worked for GPIC (Gulf Petrochemicals Industries Company) for 12 years, while experimenting with his camera on the side. He started taking pictures for work functions and a side business began, until five years ago, he went professional and hasn’t looked back.